Footprints of final dinasours to stroll on UK soil found in Kent
2 min read Footprints of a minimum of six totally different species of dinosaurs have been found in Kent, United Kingdom by researchers, who consider they’re of the final dinosaurs to stroll on UK soil some 110 million years in the past.
The footprints had been found on the cliffs and on the foreshore of the port city, Folkestone in Kent, the place stormy situations are consistently revealing new fossils.
“This is the first time dinosaur footprints have been found in strata known as the ‘Folkestone Formation’ and it’s quite an extraordinary discovery because these dinosaurs would have been the last to roam in this country before becoming extinct,” Professor of Palaeobiology, David Martill, stated.
The footprints are believed to be from quite a lot of dinosaurs, indicating a excessive range of dinosaurs in southern England on the finish of the Early Cretaceous interval, some 110 million years in the past.
“Back in 2011, I came across unusual impressions in the rock formation at Folkestone. They seemed to be repeating and all I could think was they might be footprints,” Philip Hadland, Collections and Engagement Curator on the Hastings Museum and Art Gallery stated.
“This was at odds with what most geologists say about the rocks here, but I went looking for more footprints and as the tides revealed more by erosion, I found even better ones. More work was needed to convince the scientific community of their validity, so I teamed up with experts at the University of Portsmouth to verify what I’d found,” he added.
The duo believes the footprints belong to ankylosaurs, rugged-looking armoured dinosaurs which had been like residing tanks; theropods, three-toed flesh-eating dinosaurs just like the Tyrannosaurus rex; and ornithopods, plant-eating ‘bird-hipped dinosaurs so-called due to their pelvic construction being a bit of bit much like birds.
The largest footprint discovered – measuring 80 cm in width and 65 cm in size – has been recognized as belonging to an Iguanodon-like dinosaur. Iguanodons had been additionally plant-eaters, who grew as much as 10 metres lengthy and walked on each two legs or on all fours.
A paper on the invention has additionally been printed within the Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association and a few of the footprints are saved on show at Folkestone Museum.
